THE TWICE-BORN (DWIJ) BODY

"A Siddha is one who enjoys perfect bliss, even while he is in his
physical body. The body is treated by him as the best medium of
realizing the truth. Similar to the sacred rivers, temples,
mountains, etc., the body is a sacred passage to the ultimate
Reality. Sivavakkiyar raises a pertinent question: Why should we go
out to these places when the threshold is in us? Siddhas know how to
preserve the body through light rays ("mani" in Tamil) sound waves
("mantra") and medicine ("marundu" or "ausadha" in Tamil). The
technique of the preservation of the body is called kaya sadhana: It
is an attempt to attain a perfect body called Siddha Deha. In short,
one who has obtained the power of dematerializing and spiritualizing
the body, and knows how to transmute the corruptible physical into
the incorruptible superphysical basis of life, is a Siddha. A Siddha
attains and possesses an eternal spiritual body called the Divya-Deha,
and is one who finally breaks out of the karmic cycle and attains
deliverance from time. Using the expression of Mircea Eliade we may
say that the Siddhas are those 'who understood liberation as the
conquest of (by) immortality'."

SIDDHIS IN THE TIPITAKA

§ 64. Ananda: What, lord, is power? What is the base of power? What
is the development of the base of power? And what is the path of
practice leading to the development of the base of power?

The Buddha: There is the case, Ananda, where a monk [1] wields
manifold supranormal powers. Having been one he becomes many; having
been many he becomes one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded
through walls, ramparts, & mountains as if through space. He dives in
& out of the earth as if it were water. He walks on water without
sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting crosslegged he flies through
the air like a winged bird. With his hand he touches & strokes even
the sun & moon, so mighty & powerful. He exercises influence with his
body even as far as the Brahma worlds. {Just as a skilled potter or
his assistant could craft from well-prepared clay whatever kind of
pottery vessel he likes, or as a skilled ivory-carver or his
assistant could craft from well-prepared ivory any kind of ivory-work
he likes, or as a skilled goldsmith or his assistant could craft from
well-prepared gold any kind of gold article he likes; in the same
way, the monk wields manifold supranormal powers...}

[2] He hears -- by means of the divine ear-element, purified &
surpassing the human -- both kinds of sounds: divine & human, whether
near or far. {Just as if a man traveling along a highway were to hear
the sounds of kettledrums, small drums, conchs, cymbals, & tom-toms.
He would know, 'That is the sound of kettledrums, that is the sound
of small drums, that is the sound of conchs, that is the sound of
cymbals, & that is the sound of tom-toms.' In the same way... the
monk hears... both kinds of sounds: divine & human...}

[3] He knows the awareness of other beings, other individuals, having
encompassed it with his own awareness. He discerns a mind with
passion as a mind with passion, and a mind without passion as a mind
without passion. He discerns a mind with aversion as a mind with
aversion, and a mind without aversion as a mind without aversion. He
discerns a mind with delusion as a mind with delusion, and a mind
without delusion as a mind without delusion. He discerns a restricted
mind as a restricted mind, and a scattered mind as a scattered mind.
He discerns an enlarged mind as an enlarged mind, and an unenlarged
mind as an unenlarged mind. He discerns an excelled mind [one that is
not on the most excellent level] as an excelled mind, and an
unexcelled mind as an unexcelled mind. He discerns a concentrated
mind as a concentrated mind, and an unconcentrated mind as an
unconcentrated mind. He discerns a released mind as a released mind,
and an unreleased mind as an unreleased mind. {Just as if a young
woman -- or man -- fond of ornaments, examining the reflection of her
own face in a bright mirror or a bowl of clear water would
know 'blemished' if it were blemished, or 'unblemished' if it were
not. In the same way... the monk knows the awareness of other
beings...}

[4] He recollects his manifold past lives (lit: previous homes),
i.e., one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty,
thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred
thousand, many aeons of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic
expansion, many aeons of cosmic contraction & expansion,
[recollecting], 'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan,
had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of
pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that
state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to
such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my
experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away
from that state, I re-arose here.' Thus he remembers his manifold
past lives in their modes & details. {Just as if a man were to go
from his home village to another village, and then from that village
to yet another village, and then from that village back to his home
village. The thought would occur to him, 'I went from my home village
to that village over there. There I stood in such a way, sat in such
a way, talked in such a way, & remained silent in such a way. From
that village I went to that village over there, and there I stood in
such a way, sat in such a way, talked in such a way, & remained
silent in such a way. From that village I came back home.' In the
same way... the monk recollects his manifold past lives...}

[5] He sees -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the
human -- beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how
they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate &
unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: 'These beings -- who were
endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, & mind, who reviled the
noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the
influence of wrong views -- with the break-up of the body, after
death, have re-appeared in the plane of deprivation, the bad
destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these beings -- who were
endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind, who did not revile
the noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the
influence of right views -- with the break-up of the body, after
death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in the heavenly
world.' Thus -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the
human -- he sees beings passing away and re-appearing, and he
discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly,
fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma. {Just as if
there were a tall building in the central square [of a town], and a
man with good eyesight standing on top of it were to see people
entering a house, leaving it, walking along the street, & sitting in
the central square. The thought would occur to him, 'These people are
entering a house, leaving it, walking along the streets, & sitting in
the central square.' In the same way... the monk sees -- by means of
the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human -- beings passing
away and re-appearing...}

[6] Through the ending of the mental effluents, he remains in the
effluent-free awareness-release & discernment-release, having known &
made them manifest for himself right in the here & now. {Just as if
there were a pool of water in a mountain glen -- clear, limpid, &
unsullied -- where a man with good eyesight standing on the bank
could see shells, gravel, & pebbles, and also shoals of fish swimming
about & resting, and it would occur to him, 'This pool of water is
clear, limpid, & unsullied. Here are these shells, gravel, & pebbles,
and also these shoals of fish swimming about & resting.' In the same
way, the monk discerns, as it is actually present, that 'This is
stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation
of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress...
These are effluents... This is the origination of effluents... This
is the cessation of effluents... This is the way leading to the
cessation of effluents.' His heart, thus knowing, thus seeing, is
released from the effluent of sensuality, released from the effluent
of becoming, released from the effluent of ignorance. With release,
there is the knowledge, 'Released.' He discerns that 'Birth is ended,
the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for
this world.'}

This is called power.

And what is the base of power? Whatever path, whatever practice,
leads to the attainment of power, the winning of power: That is
called the base of power.

And what is the development of the base of power? There is the case
where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration
founded on desire & the fabrications of exertion. He develops the
base of power endowed with concentration founded on persistence...
concentration founded on intent... concentration founded on
discrimination & the fabrications of exertion. This is called the
development of the base of power.

And what is the path of practice leading to the development of the
base of power? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right
resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort,
right mindfulness, right concentration. This is called the path of
practice leading to the development of the base of power.

-- SN LI.26 {+ DN 2}

ST. PAUL ON SIDDHIS

1 Corinthians, chapter 12, from the Holy Bible:

1: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you
ignorant.
2: Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols,
even as ye were led.
3: Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the
Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that
Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
4: Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5: And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6: And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God
which worketh all in all.
7: But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to
profit withal.
8: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another
the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of
healing by the same Spirit;
10: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to
another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to
another the interpretation of tongues:
11: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing
to every man severally as he will.

MORE ANDROGYNY IN GNOSTIC TEXTS

Search Result
The Acts of Thomas
heavenly Spirit sent from the Divine Light: this Spirit appeared as
androgynous, so that
Eugnostos the Blessed -- The Nag Hammadi Library
Light appeared as Immortal Androgynous Man. His male name
is 'Begotten, Perfect Mind'. And
Then Son of Man consented with Sophia, his consort, and revealed a
great androgynous

Then Savior consented with his consort, Pistis Sophia, and revealed
six androgynous Assembly of the Eighth was revealed as androgynous
and was named partly as male and partly

The Exegesis on the Soul -- The Nag Hammadi Library
As long as she was alone with the father, she was virgin and in form
androgynous. But

The Hypostasis of the Archons -- The Nag Hammadi Library
androgynous, as I have already said, because it was from matter that
it derived.

This ruler, by being androgynous, made himself a vast realm, an
extent without limit. offspring, androgynous just like their parent.
And he said to his offspring, "It is I envied him; and the envy
became an androgynous product, and this was the origin of envy.

On the Origin of the World -- The Nag Hammadi Library
time a ruler, out of the waters, lion-like in appearance,
androgynous, having great
Seven appeared in chaos, androgynous. They have their masculine names
and their These are the seven forces of the seven heavens of chaos.
And they were born androgynous, androgynous, mingled with his (own)
nature and begot seven androgynous offspring. These begot seven, so
that they amount to forty-nine androgynous demons. Their names and
their

And in the presence of these, Zoe, who was with Sabaoth, created
seven good androgynous

Out of that first blood Eros appeared, being androgynous. His
masculinity is Himireris, androgynous. That droplet she molded first
as a female body. Afterwards, using the body twelve months. An
androgynous human being was produced, whom the Greeks call

The Sophia of Jesus Christ -- The Nag Hammadi Library
immediately the principle (or beginning) of that Light appeared as
Immortal Androgynous Man, that through that Immortal Androgynous Man
they might attain their salvation and first-begotten, androgynous
son. His male name is designated 'First Begetter, Son of God', a
great androgynous light. His male name is designated 'Savior,
Begetter of All Things'. unity we call them 'Assembly of the
Eighth.'It appeared as androgynous and was name partly
Trimorphic Protennoia -- The Nag Hammadi Library
I am androgynous. I am Mother (and) I am Father, since I copulate
with myself. I

The Apocalypse of Adam -- The Nag Hammadi Library
in order to become androgynous. She fulfilled her desire and became
pregnant from her
The Gospel of the Egyptians -- The Nag Hammadi Library
and the foreknowledge, the androgynous Father.

The Apocryphon of John -- The Nag Hammadi Library
androgynous one, and the eternal aeon among the invisible ones, and
the first to come androgynous pentad of the aeons, which is the decad
of the aeons, which is the Father.

Joseph Smith: America's Hermetic Prophet
Historical examination of Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of
Mormonism, and his relationship with the traditions of Gnosticism,
Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Masonry, and magic. Originally published in
Gnosis: A Journal of Western Inner Traditions, Spring 1995.
"adoptive", androgynous new Mormon Masonry. Eventually every officer
of the
The Lilith Myth
androgynous. Thus the Gilgamesh Epic gives Enkidu androgynous
features: `the hair of his
Catechism
to find terms for God in Gnostic scriptures which are androgynous
such as
A Homily for the Day of Holy Mary of Magdala
one, with the Father, she was virgin and in form androgynous. But
when
A Homily for The Second Sunday in Lent
As long she was alone, a single one, with the Father, she was virgin
and in form androgynous. But when she fell down into a body and came
to this life, then she fell into the hands of many robbers. And the
wanton creatures passed her from one to another and made use of her.
Some made use of her by force, while others did so by seducing her
with a gift. In short they defiled her and she lost her virginity.

Meditations: For Services of the Holy Sophia
Wise men of old gave the soul a feminine name. Indeed, she is female
in her nature as well; she even has a womb. As long as she was alone
with the Father, she was virgin and, in form, androgynous. But when
she fell down into a body and came to this life, she fell into the
hands of many robbers. The evil creatures passed her from one to
another; some took her by force, others seduced her with a gift. They
defiled her and she lost her innocence. Such was the plight and great
grief of the soul.

C. G. Jung and the Alchemical Renewal
phases of their own mystico-erotic relationship and eventually unite
in a new, androgynous initially brought forth a newly formed
androgynous being, results in death. The spiritual
Experiences of Oneness: An Aside
We can observe that certain symbols are used by many peoples to help
give glimpses of the numinous, the divine, the unknowable powers
beyond conscious human experience and control. And among the symbols
through which they express themselves in religious systems are the
patriarchal Father, the Mother Goddess, and the androgynous primal
human.

When the Two Become One
The core message of the Gospel of Thomas appears in Saying 22 and the
other logia that ring changes on the theme of two-becoming-one,
looking back toward the androgynous unity that existed before the
diversity found in worldly creation. Sayings 11, 16, 22, 61, 87, 106,
and 114 bear out this theme of unity, and some readers find a similar
message in sayings that give the "solitary" or "single one" a special
status. Some, who agree that the two-becoming-one theme is at the
heart of the Gospel, regard it principally as part of an early
baptismal rite. It can be seen. as a dramatization of "the initiate's
putting off the body, putting on light, and returning to sexual
oneness"--to the androgynous primal Adamic human being. It was, in
this view, a mystery rite ensuring the initiate of oneness with God
and with one's heavenly mate.

Beyond the Law
Simon, it was said, taught that the supreme being was androgynous, a
male/female pair (Power and Thought) that was really one. He believed
that a man's salvation is to be found in becoming like the godhead,
by meeting one's twin soul and uniting with her. He claimed that he
was the ultimate Power, but for completion he needed Thought as a
consort. To that station, it was said by his enemies, he elevated a
whore with whom he had fallen in love. He named her Helen, after
Helen of Troy, and presented her as the embodiment of Thought.

http://www.webcom.com/gnosis/gnostsoc.htm.old
Text File
the masculine, the feminine and the androgynous Vessels of the Tree
of Life.
The Lilith Myth
androgynous. Thus the Gilgamesh Epic gives Enkidu androgynous
features: `the hair of his

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